


The Stanwood Pack

by StrawberryGirl87



Series: Fragmented Soul Series [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 15:21:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16065902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryGirl87/pseuds/StrawberryGirl87
Summary: Another pack in the Fragmented Soul Universe. Micha grew up in this pack, loving them and could have ended up as the Alpha mate here if his older brother hadn't challeged the Alpha for the position resulting in the deaths of his family and forcing the Alpha, Tristan, to exile him. This is the story of the Stanwood pack and what happened next. Keep your eyes peeled for some familliar characters that might cross paths with this pack.





	The Stanwood Pack

Chapter One

Mid-June 1986

“I challenge you!” Reid bellowed, attracting the attention of the whole pack as he squared up to his Alpha. Reid was a large man with blond hair and blue eyes, he had always been sure of himself even if he shouldn’t have been. 

This was a challenge that his father, Mason, had convinced him he could win easily, and he was determined that nothing was going to stop him from taking the position as Alpha; this was going to be his pack and he wanted it fiercely. He didn’t only want it for him but for his father, mother and younger brother too, so they would always know they had a home, somewhere to belong. 

Tristan, the twenty-four year old Alpha of the Stanwood pack, was a head taller than Reid, standing at 6ft4 and was a pure mass of solid muscle. He had been trained relentlessly since he was able to walk, for the day when he would take position as Alpha male of the pack, his father had insisted upon it. The man had wanted to ensure his son could stave off any threats to his position as Alpha. 

Reid wasn’t lacking in strength and muscle of his own; he was certainly an impressive man by all accounts, it was just that his delusions of grandeur were far greater than his muscle mass. These delusions had grown to the extent that this had been an inevitable step. 

Tristan had not been challenged in four years, not since Dominic, who had been his father’s Beta had decided to challenge him. Very few of the pack had been unhappy with Tristan’s leadership since he had taken over the pack from his father, ten years previously; they had at least been happy enough not to cause any problems. 

Reid, however, believed that he deserved to be more than he was, he was not a man to live under another’s rule. It was this that had been part of the problem in other packs. 

Reid’s father, Mason, had believed that he too deserved to be more than simply a pack member and so the family had bounced around so many packs before landing in this one sixteen years ago. As Mason’s health had deteriorated with age and his mate, Rae, had pleaded with him to just be happy with safety and security, they had settled as a family there. 

However, Mason had not given up easily, starting to train his eldest, and only dominant, son to be strong enough to one day become an Alpha. 

And now, with the challenge issued, Tristan had to deal with Reid. He had been hoping to avoid such a confrontation, for he knew what it now meant. He had no choice. This would be a fight to the death and the winner would take all. 

Tristan had seen it brewing for a while, he was smart enough to see the signs, and he had discussed it with his Beta wolf, Jared. The two of them had a plan and they knew that Reid would never succeed but it also meant something else too, something that Tristan had wanted to avoid. 

The Alpha male had wanted to take Reid down a peg or two for years. He had always been a cocky brat, ever since arriving in the pack, but the twenty-year-old male had never given him good enough reason to really do so. And while Tristan was sorry it had come to this, there were certain werewolf traditions that needed to be upheld. 

Those who supported Reid would have to die too. Their pack would not be as strong without them, but a direct challenge could not be ignored. 

The second the challenge had been issued the pack had quickly and silently moved into position. Those that supported Tristan stood behind him. The whole pack bar three members had chosen their current Alpha. Reid had only his father, mother and youngest brother, Micha. 

Sixteen-year-old Micha was sobbing, trying to pull himself out of his mother’s arms to cross the divide and stand behind Tristan. However she wouldn’t let him go. 

Rae knew this was never going to go Reid’s way. She had pleaded with her mate not to convince their eldest son to go through with this but her words had been spoken in vain. She knew she wasn’t going to live to see the following morning, and all she wanted now was to live her last moments with her youngest son in her arms. She knew that it would break both Reid and Mason to see Micha betray them and stand behind Tristan. 

To Micha, none of this seemed fair. This wasn’t Reid’s fault, their father had put him up to this. When they were younger Micha hadn’t thought much of it, he he had just been grateful that their father’s attention hadn’t been focused on him. 

He was the baby of the family and a submissive. He had therefore been protected and mollycoddled his entire life. He would never have been as good as a dominant wolf. As a submissive, Micha was more delicate than the dominants; his genetics had earmarked him for motherhood, not for dominance battles, despite being male. 

Micha could see Reid facing Tristan, ready to fight and his expression filled with determination to survive. He was a pillar of strength, without a single tremor of fear. Micha could tell that Reid was convinced he would survive, and even more sure that he would soon be Alpha of the pack. Their father had told him it would be so, and Reid believed him without question. 

As Micha watched his big brother circle the Alpha male, his entire body, by comparison, trembled in fear. He respected Tristan as his Alpha, even liked him a little as a prospective mate, though he had never been delusional enough to think that might ever happen. He knew he wasn’t good enough to become the Alpha’s mate. But he trusted his Alpha and his pack. 

This was his home. He had been part of this pack since he was a baby, when his parents had brought him there. He had never lived anywhere else or known any other way of life and now that was going to end. He didn't understand why his brother was doing this. Things had been good and now they would never be the same again. If either of them won it would mean the death of the other and Micha didn't want to lose either of the dominant men squaring off before him. 

“Mum, what's going to happen?” Micha asked softly, as he turned away from the fight, just as Reid and Tristan leapt for each other, fists flying, claws out and teeth bared, both ready for the kill. 

Instead of watching the fight, Micha focused entirely on his mother, trying to block out the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, bone crunching into bone. Rae’s sandy blond hair and purple eyes matched his own and whenever he looked into her eyes, it seemed to calm him a little, but he could see fear in her eyes today. It was something he had never seen there before and it terrified him. 

“I don't know, my sweet boy,” she replied, her voice soft, trying to sound calm but no matter how hard she tried to hide it, Micha could hear how scared she was. It was there for all to see in her face as she watched her eldest son battle the large imposing Alpha.

Rae knew that her Reid had made a fatal mistake in issuing this challenge today, it was a fight he was never going to win, no matter what Mason had said. She knew that when this fight was over, she and her mate were going to die, she just hoped that Tristan might find it in his heart to spare Micha. 

Bringing her youngest son in closer to her, Rae held him tightly in her arms, both shielding him from the violence and finding peace in cuddling her son for what she knew to be the last time. She refused, however, to look away from the fight; if she was going to lose her eldest son, her mate and her own life tonight, then she was going to watch it with courage and face what was coming. She refused to cower in fear. 

Though Micha couldn't see what was happening, he could hear everything that was going on, the sound of the vicious blows being struck and the pack around them shouting and yelling, calling out their support and anger. 

None of the pack would join in though, this was a fight just for Reid and the Alpha. The two of them would receive no backup or assistance; no one could intervene without punishment, it had to be a fair, one-on-one fight. Whoever won would be the Alpha male of the pack and anyone who dared to question it would be killed.

“Stop coddling the boy,” Mason hissed beside them but his words only made Rae draw her arms around her youngest son tighter. 

Mason had caused this, she was done listening to him. He had never been interested in Micha, not since the moment he had been born and they had realised that he was a submissive. Mason had been so ashamed of him and most of the time had pretended he only had the one son. Rae, however, had doted upon her youngest child, loving him and showing him what his role in life was going to be. 

Micha clung to his mother desperately, thankful he couldn’t see the brutality of the fight. Though his mother’s protective arms could never have stopped the sounds of the fight, nor the smell of blood as it was spilt. He buried his nose into his mother, inhaling her floral scent, committing it to memory. He wasn’t stupid, he was pretty sure he knew how this was going to end and he never wanted his mother to fade from his memory. She had taken care of him when most would have killed him at birth, or so Mason had frequently told him. 

It took less than ten minutes before Rae’s heart broke as her eldest son’s body fell to the floor with a thud and the whole clearing fell silent. The shouting, jeering and yelling stopped almost instantly and all that could be heard was Tristan’s heavy breathing as he composed himself after the fight. 

Daring himself to look, Micha turned to look and instantly regretted doing so. 

His brother’s lip was split and bleeding, his right eye swollen completely shut, blood flowing from his mouth, nose and the other gaping wounds that now covered his body, staining his clothes. He could hear his mother crying. His father, however, was stood immobile and silent, unsure what to do. Both of them knew that they were going to die. 

Tristan had won. 

Pushing Micha away from her, Rae took his head into her hands, stroking his cheek as she made a split-second decision, knowing that she had mere minutes before her life ended. She made eye contact with him, ensuring he would hear what she was about to say. 

“Survive, my sweet boy. You must survive this,” she said, speaking quickly and urgently. 

This wish was the last thing she had left to hope for. There wasn’t anything else she could do to help him. She would not run, she would stand strong and face her fate. Micha, however, did not deserve to have his young life ended, not when he had so much more to live for. 

Not knowing what else to do or what to say, Micha just nodded his head in agreement and Rae placed a soft kiss upon his forehead, whispering to him that she loved him dearly. 

“Mum?” Micha asked, heartbroken, tears flowing down his cheeks as she pushed him backwards with such force that he fell to the floor. 

Rae would not feel sorry for this, she wouldn't have him in the path of the inevitable attack on her. If she could do anything then she was going to protect her youngest son and ensure his survival. 

The scent of blood in the territory was overwhelming to him now that Micha was away from his mother and he knew it was his brother’s blood that he could smell, which only made it worse. Reid had lost the fight and, as that knowledge sunk in, Micha started to scramble backwards, away from where the fight had taken place and away from his family too. Micha continued pushing himself back until he collided with the trunk of a tree, where he curled in on himself, resting his forehead against his knees not wanting to see what was going on. 

A fight for the position of Alpha could only end one way. 

The sixteen-year-old submissive screwed his eyes closed, willing the tears to stop as he waited for the inevitable. It didn’t take long before he heard a scream that made his blood run cold. His head snapped up and his eyes came to rest upon his mother, who was now kneeling upon the ground. Her hands were covering her mouth in utter horror and her eyes were on the lifeless body of her mate, Mason. 

Tristan towered over him, clearly having broken his neck in one swift motion. It seemed that in his final moments of life, Mason had tried to fight back. The man had, however, been no match for the Alpha wolf. 

Micha didn’t even have a chance to shout out a warning to his mother as the Beta wolf, Jared, came up behind her, hands gripping either side of her head and twisting viciously. 

There was a sickening smile on the Beta’s face as he killed her, Jared’s eyes gleaming as he watched her body fall to the floor, limp and lifeless. The Beta wolf enjoyed killing far too much, everyone knew it and yet said nothing. 

Unable to make a sound, Micha struggled for breath, knowing he might be next and the promise he’d made to his mother, his promise to survive, might be broken. There was nothing he could do against the Alpha and the Beta, he had never been a fighter, no one had bothered to teach him. Even if he could have, it felt as if his chest was constricting as he struggled to pull air into his lungs. His body was trembling. He couldn’t will himself to move an inch. 

That was when Jared turned his way and started approaching. 

Micha knew he was next, it was his turn to die and in that moment, he wanted it. He didn’t want to have to live without his family. His mother, father and brother were all dead; he had nothing left, especially now that his pack had turned on them. He could accept death, even if it scared him, because at least the fear would be over and he could be with his family again.

Micha had known Jared his whole life, they had grown up together, just like most of the other wolves in the pack. Before he had become the Beta wolf, Jared and Reid had been friends, as they had been the same age and had therefore trained to hunt and to fight together. Micha had looked up to the two of them, wishing he could have been like them, rather than a weak submissive. He had never been allowed to play with them or join in their training, he hadn’t been deemed strong enough. 

Closing his eyes, Micha prepared for what was to come, hoping it wouldn’t hurt and that he would be able to see his mother’s smile again when it was all over. 

Jared relished the idea of the kill. Usually he would have wanted to take his time and savour taking the life of another but not here, not in front of the others. There would be too many questions and he didn’t want to lose his position as Beta, not when it had been so conveniently handed to him. He had really wanted to kill Mason himself, but he knew that Tristan had had to do the honours there, however killing Rae and Micha would be just as satisfying to him. 

“Leave him,” a familiar voice barked out suddenly, the command firm and unwavering. 

It made Micha open his eyes and look up in surprise, unable to believe that Tristan was sparing his life. He had always liked Tristan, always fantasised about having something more with him, but he had never thought the Alpha had even noticed him. 

At the barked command Jared had stopped his approach, glaring hatefully at the sixteen-year-old but not daring to step any closer and go against the orders of his Alpha. He had been so looking forward to killing the little submissive. Now he was going to have to find his satisfaction elsewhere. 

Micha too remained where he was, shocked and frozen in place. By all accounts he should have died along with the rest of his family, for his brother’s sins and he didn’t understand why Tristan would let him live. He glanced over at the Alpha and swore he could see sadness his expression. 

“My Alpha…?” Jared queried, half turning his head to look at Tristan but still keeping an eye on Micha too. He was annoyed that he wasn't being allowed to finish what Reid had started when he had issued the challenge. Everyone in the clearing knew that Micha should die too, there was no way that he could be permitted to remain in the pack. 

“Look at him, he's pathetic, he's not a threat to any of us,” Tristan said, his voice filled with authority. 

The Alpha wouldn’t have any of his pack challenging the decision he had made. He cared for Micha, more than he cared to admit to anyone other than Rueben, his best friend. As the Alpha male, however, he couldn’t afford to show weakness. Micha was just that, a weakness, but if he allowed the submissive to remain here then there would be uproar and more challenges would follow. It was something he couldn’t allow. 

There was only one thing he could do and he didn’t want to do it. But either way, Tristan knew he was going to lose Micha. 

Micha wasn’t as stupid as everyone seemed to think that he was, he knew that he wasn’t going to be allowed to remain in the pack, not after what his brother had done. He could still see the bodies of his family, lying unmoving in the dirt. If Jared was not going to be allowed to kill him then there was only one other path the Alpha could take, and to Micha that was worse than death. 

“Let him be exiled. He won’t survive the next winter alone anyway. Just let him go,” Tristan commanded. 

The Alpha didn't want to say the words, he knew from the expression on Micha's face that what he had said had wounded the submissive. It hurt him to exile the young man. He had hoped to one day make Micha his mate but he had left it too long, and now it was too late. He could never allow a traitor to become the Alpha’s mate. 

Jared just smirked at Tristan’s words, turning back to look at Micha fully. The Beta might have wanted to kill him but thinking of the tiny submissive all alone, cold and starving, it was enough to bring a small spark of joy to Jared’s otherwise cold soul. 

With his family dead and the word exile ringing in his ears, Micha didn't know what to do. He remained frozen in shock and terror until the Beta wolf spoke.

“Run, little wolf, run,” Jared said, his tone filled with malice and a chilling smile on his lips.

Micha didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled quickly to his feet, tears still streaming down his cheeks as he started to run, just as Jared had instructed, the harshly spoken words ringing in his ears. He didn’t stop, he didn’t slow down and he didn’t look back, he just ran as fast as he could, wanting to put as much distance between himself and the pack that had killed his family. 

“Burn the bodies,” Tristan said calmly, his voice filled with a sadness. 

He had truly hoped it would never come to this. He had seen the warning signs, he’d known of Reid's possible betrayal but he had hoped Reid wouldn’t have had the guts to go through with a full-blown challenge. What he hadn’t factored in was just how much Mason had influenced him.

The other pack members, knowing the challenge was over and dealt with, started to go back to their chores. The dominants began gathering firewood in preparation for doing as the Alpha had instructed, to build a secondary fire away from their clearing. They wouldn’t throw them on the main fire, not where they prepared and cooked their meals. 

“I still think you should have let me kill that sub,” Jared said in a low growl, approaching his Alpha, angry he hadn't been given the opportunity to deal with Micha. He believed it’d been a mistake to let the boy go, and he wasn’t shy about voicing this opinion either.

“Micha’s harmless,” Tristan snapped at his Beta wolf, losing patience with him. “Regardless, he'll be dead soon enough. Do you honestly think he'll survive out there on his own?” 

It was with great sadness the Alpha said this. Even though he didn’t want it to be true, he had seen how Micha had been raised and he knew the submissive was not cut out for life outside of the pack. He was going to have to come to terms with the fact that it was unlikely he would ever see Micha again. 

“Alpha?” Felicity said, cautiously approaching Tristan and Jared, not wanting to interrupt what seemed to be a rather serious discussion but wanting to see if her services were required. 

“Yes Felicity?” Tristan asked, happier to deal with her than he was with his Beta right now. He didn’t understand why Rueben had willingly stepped down and handed the position to Jared without a fight. He would have been far more content with Rueben as his second, rather than the rash and reckless Jared. 

“I was wondering if you were hurt. I can check you over if you wish?” Felicity offered tentatively. 

If anyone else had asked the Alpha this then they would have been accused of testing him for weakness, Felicity however was not only a submissive, but she was also the pack’s healer, the only one who knew how to patch up broken bones and other ailments. 

“No, thank you, Felicity,” Tristan said, giving her a small smile. 

He had some minor scrapes and bruises from the fight with Reid, but it was nothing that needed medical attention. Felicity gave a small bow of her head as a sign of respect before leaving the two dominants to it, not wanting to get in the way of their conversation any longer than needed. 

“Everyone knows you were sweet on him,” Jared said the moment Felicity had gone, his tone almost mocking. He did not miss the warning growl that came from the Alpha's throat in response to his statement. The Beta knew he was pushing his luck pursuing the subject, especially when he should have been helping the others dispose of the three bodies.. 

“This is not up for discussion,” Tristan said firmly, “unless you want to challenge me too, just like your father did!” 

Jared snorted in amusement at this idea. He was unwilling to fight Tristan for the pack, he had no desire to ever be Alpha, he more than content to be Beta. All of the power and yet none of the responsibility. 

His father hadn't really wanted to be the Alpha either, but he had issued a challenge because he hadn't liked that Tristan hadn't proven himself worthy of leading them. Tristan had of course killed Jared's father, and then his mother in the aftermath of the challenge, proving himself indeed worthy of the title of Alpha. 

Jared had been sent away mere hours before the challenge had been issued. He knew now his parents had done this on purpose. If he wasn’t there, he didn’t have to pick a side and it was ensured that he would survive and remain within the pack, where he would safe. Neither Dominic nor Rebecca had ever been stupid when it came to pack politics and traditions, they had known what they were doing. 

“I would never dream of it, my Alpha,” Jared said, bowing his head to Tristan in submission. 

He had seen what the Alpha was capable of today and he didn't want to end up like Reid, Rae or Mason, the bodies of whom were currently being dragged away into the woodland to be burnt. Even from this distance Jared could see Reuben, Gordon and Joel’s sombre expressions. 

“Then go and help dispose of the bodies,” Tristan ordered. 

Jared nodded quickly, and the Alpha’s glared after him as the Beta scurried off to do as he had been instructed. Tristan watched him go, ensuring he did as he was instructed, disappearing off through the treeline after the other dominants.

Looking around at his pack he could see the young dominants, on the wrong side of sixteen and therefore too young to help defend the pack. Including himself there were only five dominants past the age of sixteen. The war with Voldemort had weakened them considerably. He was going to have to find some new blood if they were ever going to be as strong as they once were. 

Darren and Leo, brothers orphaned due to the wizarding war, who had joined the pack four years ago, were great additions to the pack but they were only ten and thirteen respectively and still many years away from turning sixteen and leaving behind the title of pup. 

Sophia, Amy and Maisy all already contributed to the pack, and twelve-year-old Sophia was even learning about healing under the tutelage of her mother, Felicity, but none of them would be able to hunt or defend. He probably shouldn’t have allowed Amy to join the pack three years ago when she had come to them after she had been bitten and then abandoned by her family after she turned for the first time. However, he couldn’t have turned her away with a clear conscience. 

As much as they were a drain on the pack now, one day they would mate and produce strong dominants, in the long run a pack could not survive without the submissive wolves, male or female, and he was smart enough to know this. Tommy, the only male submissive they now had in their pack with Micha gone, would likely become the Alpha mate because Tristan didn’t see himself settling down with any of the women, they just weren’t for him. 

\------x 

“I can’t believe Micha’s gone,” Eighteen-year-old Tommy said in disbelief. He hadn’t really liked the other male submissive, but the events of earlier that day had been a shock to everyone. “Do you think he knew what his brother was planning?” 

“I don’t think he did,” Rueben said to his little brother, giving him an awkward sideways hug. “I think Mason was the only one who really knew what Reid was planning but it’s finished now.” He was seven years Tommy’s senior and had always wanted to protect him, make sure he was sheltered from the horrors that being a male submissive could sometimes mean. 

“He killed them though,” Tommy said, still shocked. 

He didn’t like violence, he never had. He had always been more than happy to be with his mother and learn how to cook and sew and look after the pack along with the other submissive wolves. Micha hadn’t been like that, he had been fascinated with how the dominants had been trained, he had wanted to join them but was never deemed to be strong enough. 

“Tristan didn’t have a choice,” Rueben explained. “Once Reid challenged him it was the person left alive who was going to be Alpha. He couldn’t risk having any of Reid’s supporters alive in case they tried to get revenge for his death.” 

“But he left Micha alive,” Tommy said a little bitterly. 

“A submissive who had nothing to do with the challenge,” Reuben pointed out. He wasn’t about to divulge how the Alpha had felt about Micha, not when he had figured out that Tommy was now the only option for Tristan. 

“The pack feels different now,” Tommy said, looking around at those that were left. It was a more sombre mood in the clearing this evening, the laughing and joking that usually echoed around the fire was absent. 

“It’ll take a while to adapt,” Reuben said as he took surveyed those that were left. 

His eyes coming to rest upon eleven-year-old Maisy. He knew she was the one for him, he just couldn’t make his intentions known, not until the Alpha was mated himself. Only once the Alpha had chosen a mate could others then express their interest in the submissive wolves left. 

\-----x 

“He’s in a good position,” Joel said to his mate. 

Maggie nodded her head, thinking her mate was getting a little ahead of himself. There was no certainty that Tristan would choose their youngest son now that Micha was gone. 

“If it is to happen, then it will happen,” she replied softly, glancing over to where her youngest son was snoring softly, having fallen asleep by the fire. 

“I still don’t understand why Rueben gave up being Beta,” Joel said bitterly. He had wanted so much for his two sons. He had been so disappointed when his eldest and only dominant son had given up such a prominent position without a fight. 

Maggie sighed, she hadn’t had the same ambition for her two sons, she had only wanted them to be happy. 

“You know he was never cut out for pack politics. He wants a simple life,” she told her mate. “And if that’s the case, you just allow him to have that.” 

“Just think, if I can convince him to fight Jared for Beta, and Tommy becomes the Alpha’s mate, we’ll have an undeniable strength here,” Joel said, thinking about how much sway he would have with the Alpha if that was the case. 

“I do not want to push Tommy under the nose of the Alpha. You know he isn’t a typical submissive, we shouldn’t draw attention to that,” Maggie said pointedly, knowing that her mate didn’t need to be reminded of the secret that they shared. 

“He’ll never find out,” Joel said confidently. “You’ve taught Tommy to hide his abnormality, he knows not to draw attention to it. He’ll be fine.” 

“If you say so, my dear,” Maggie said in return with a small sigh, not sure her mate was entirely correct but not willing to fight him on it. 

\-----x 

Early July 1986

Tristan, after exiling the submissive that he had hoped to make his mate, was now had a slight dilemma. 

His father probably would have encouraged him to claim Amy, she was unmated and at seventeen, a beautiful young woman who would be able to give him pups, which would secure the Stanwood Pack’s legacy. 

However, Tristan had never been able to abide females, at least not in a sexual way. Not that his father had ever known this. He had never managed to find the courage to tell his now deceased father that he was gay. 

Out of the two male submissive werewolves who had lived in the pack, Tristan had wanted Micha. He had been on the verge of claiming him and might have done so, had Micha’s older brother, Reid, not challenged his position of Alpha. However, what was done was done, and Micha was gone, exiled. 

The only male submissive left within the pack now was eighteen-year-old Tommy. He was young and attractive but as weak and wet as any werewolf Tristan had ever known. 

Micha had had a natural curiosity and wanted to learn everything, he hadn’t cared that he was a submissive. Tommy had none of Micha’s vibrant nature or lust for life, he simply simpered around his mother pathetically. 

As the Alpha, Tristan knew he needed to claim a mate. He was already twenty-four and his inner wolf snarled and snapped at him viciously over his lack of mate and pups. Tristan was aware that Tommy liked him and wouldn’t refuse his advances, but Tristan felt rather indifferent toward the young submissive. However, unless he claimed one of the submissive females or looked to other packs, which could take years of negotiations, then he had very little choice other than Tommy. It wasn’t as if submissive males were a common occurrence. 

Resigning himself to his choice, Tristan sighed, wondering if he was making the right decision in settling for second best but not knowing what other choice he had. 

It didn’t seem fair on Tommy, it almost seemed worse that his best friend, Reuben, was Tommy’s older brother too. However, Tristan needed to settle down and quickly because otherwise his lack of mate would be grounds for challenge to his position, not just amongst his own pack but from other packs too, if they knew. 

“Joel,” the Alpha bellowed across the clearing, summoning Tommy’s father to him. 

If he didn’t do this now then he never would. It didn’t feel right what he was about to do but he wouldn’t risk his positioned being challenged. This was his pack and he wanted to make sure he remained the Alpha here. 

At forty-four, Joel should have been at his peak, however he was small in size for a dominant male werewolf and valued brain over brawn, something that Tristan couldn’t understand, not when his father had pushed him to his physical limits from the moment he was able to walk. 

“Yes, my Alpha,” Joel said, bowing his head respectfully toward Tristan as he approached. Joel had seen how easily the Alpha had defeated Reid the month before and he had no desire to anger the powerful man. 

“I wish to mate your son,” Tristan said rather bluntly and with no hesitation. He was not the kind to mince his words, if he wanted something, he made it known. 

Joel looked completely shocked by this statement, not really knowing what to say or how to react, despite his hope that this might come to pass. 

“This is not something I require your permission for,” the Alpha went on. “I am telling you this as a mark of respect, as you have served this pack loyally your whole life.” 

“I am honoured, both by this respect you have shown me and for giving my youngest son the honour of being your mate,” Joel said, picking his words carefully. 

He wasn’t completely sure how he felt about his youngest son being chosen as second best by the Alpha, especially after the likes of Micha. But he could certainly see the benefit of his son being in the position of Alpha’s mate. It would elevate his own position within the pack without the need to challenging anyone. His eldest had already befriended Tristan and that had been satisfactory but his youngest being mated to the Alpha would put them in an excellent position. 

Though, even if Joel had dared to disagreed with the mate ship, he would only have two options to protest it. Either leave the pack with his mate and youngest son, possibly having to come to terms with leaving his eldest, Rueben, behind or else challenge the Alpha for his position, a fight that Joel knew he had no chance of winning due to his slighter size. He was entirely unwilling to do either and so it was rather fortunate that he could see the benefits of Tommy becoming mate to the Alpha. 

“I will approach him soon. Feel free to tell him of our conversation. He should be aware of my intentions,” Tristan said rather matter-of-factly. 

Joel nodded in agreement before bowing his head submissively to the Alpha male once more, wanting to make it perfectly clear that he had no issue with what had just been discussed. 

Tristan watched as Joel returned to his mate and youngest child, simply observing them out of curiosity. It had been a little less than a month since Reid had challenged him and things had settled down within the pack again. With the calm, the whole pack needed something to celebrate and a new mate-ship was just what they all needed. 

The Alpha knew that with his mate-ship the others could then start expressing their own intentions to others in the pack, making their own unions. The delay in choosing his own mate had prevented everyone else from finding significant others. Their pack needed to start progressing and growing. They had lost so much in the war and they were still recovering from it. 

Now was time to put the past behind them and become great again. Tristan wanted his father to be proud of what he had done with the Stanwood pack, not ashamed. 

\-----x 

The pack had settled for the night as the darkness claimed the territory completely. The only light was coming from the campfire, and the almost full moon above. 

Tristan was still awake, pondering his next move as he stared into the fire, brooding over it as his pack slept around him. His skin was crawling. The change was coming closer and he ached for the transformation. 

“Forgive the intrusion, my Alpha, but could I offer you some advice?” 

Tristan looked up to see Reuben, standing before him. The former Beta wolf was a formidable man, strongly built and as solid as a brick wall. If he had wanted to keep his position as Beta within the pack, then the twenty-five-year old could have done so with ease. Reuben, however, had no fondness for pack politics, preferring a simpler life. It was supposedly why he had willingly handed over the position to Jared. 

“Sit,” Tristan said, motioning to the spot beside him. 

The two of them had been friends since childhood, training together and learning how to hunt side by side. The Alpha would always have time for Rueben, he was a stable and strong member of the pack and he only wished that he had remained Beta. Jared was too much of a loose cannon. 

“My words are not meant to cause offence, but perhaps your choice is not the right one for you,” Reuben said carefully, not wanting to make the Alpha angry. He had his opinions, as did a few others in the pack and although the Alpha believed it was a massive secret how he had had felt about Micha, everyone had known. The whole pack had been shocked when the sixteen-year-old submissive had been exiled. 

“I have no choice anymore,” Tristan replied openly. He trusted Reuben and he needed someone that he wasn’t the Alpha with. It was nice to simply have a friend that he could talk to without having to think about every little thing. They were friends first and everything else second. 

“You could try to find him,” Reuben suggested, not wanting to mention the name, but they both knew who he meant regardless. He had been just as shocked as everyone else, if not more so, when Micha had been exiled. He had never thought Tristan would send Micha away. 

“He is long gone,” Tristan said dismissively, only wishing that his words were not the truth. 

He missed Micha more than he cared to admit and regretted his decision to exile him. He had spent the last month going over that day in his mind over and over again and he didn’t know what else he could have done to keep Micha with them. 

“He watched his whole family die here, why would he even want to come back?” he questioned, needing to believe this wasn’t all his own doing.

“Because any fool could see that he felt the same for you as you did for him,” Reuben said rather pointedly, knowing he was risking a fight with how blunt his words were. They might be friends but Rueben still worried Tristan could take offense at what he said. He just hoped his friendship with the Alpha still meant something, despite the fact he was no longer the Beta. 

“No,” Tristan said after a few moments of hesitation, where he tried to quickly come to terms with what Reuben had said. He hadn’t realised Micha had felt the same way as he had. He didn’t want to believe it. It made what he had done worse. “I have made my intentions clear, I will keep my word,” he insisted stubbornly. 

“Even if it makes you unhappy?” Reuben questioned. 

“Tommy will be a loyal mate to me, he will give me pups. Happiness is fleeting, a long legacy is worth more than happiness,” Tristan said, not fully believing his own words. In the back of his mind he knew that Micha could have made him happy as well as providing a strong legacy, a thought that made his heart ache. 

“You sound like your father,” Reuben said with slight amusement, not buying the Alpha’s words either. 

Jacet was not a man who was missed, Tristan was a much better Alpha, having taken many of his mother's kinder traits. But despite Jacet’s many faults, he had been a strong leader and that was something that couldn’t be taken away from him. 

“Perhaps he was right,” Tristan said, making a rather sudden decision and getting to his feet. 

With his resolve set, the Alpha male made his way over to where Tommy was sleeping. If he didn’t do this now then he was going to overthink the whole situation and he would succumb to being alone, bitter and no doubt aggressive too. 

Reuben watched, certain that this mate-ship between the Alpha and Tommy, would make neither of them happy, but knowing that he had done his best to dissuade the Alpha from going through with it. The Alpha pair was meant to be strong and reliable, but he sadly doubted that Tristan and Tommy would ever manage that. And while Tommy might be besotted with the idea of Tristan, the young submissive had no idea of the reality of the situation, and Reuben doubted that his simpering little brother would ever be up for the challenge. And though he didn’t want to see either his brother or his best friend in an unhappy mate-ship, Tristan was obvious not to be dissuaded.

Kneeling, Tristan placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, gently rousing the submissive from sleep, not wanting to startle him. The Alpha placed one finger over Tommy’s lips keeping him quiet before motioning for the younger wolf to follow him. 

Joel had spoken to Tommy earlier in the day, so he had known this was coming. Even though Tommy liked Tristan and had fantasised about being his mate since he was eleven, he had also known that the Alpha wanted Micha. Tommy now wasn’t sure how he felt about being Tristan’s second choice, only chosen now that Micha was gone and he was the only remaining option. 

He knew this wasn’t his choice though. And so, getting up from where he had been sleeping, Tommy obediently followed the Alpha, unhappy that he had no other choice than to accept being mated to the Alpha, unless he wanted to leave the pack he had been part of since he was born. 

His father had been very clear on that point, making sure Tommy knew that this was the best thing for their family and that no matter how he felt, he was going to go through with it. 

Tristan lead them into the woods in silence, Tommy struggling to keep up with the dominant’s larger strides. Tommy did not dare speak a word, not even to ask for the pace to slow slightly, instead waiting for the Alpha to break the silence between them. 

After what felt like hours, Tristan finally came to a stop, once they were a decent way from the clearing and that was when Tristan turned to look at Tommy. The submissive had made sure to stop several feet away from his Alpha, only stepping closer when he was beckoned forward. 

As Tommy came to stand in front of him, Tristan gently gripped Tommy’s head in his hands, assessing critically in his mind. Blond like Micha but neat, not tufty. Boring blue eyes, not the unusual purple he had fallen in love with. Handsome but not stunning, not like Micha. 

It was always going to be this way. Tommy was never going to compare to Micha. In that sense, what Rueben had said was right, it wasn’t going to make either of them happy, but Tristan had come to terms with that. It was never going to be love between the two of them, but their relationship would be a means to an end. 

“You will do,” Tristan said with finality.

Tommy’s heart skipped a beat at the Alpha’s words. 

“Do you want me as your dominant mate?” Tristan asked bluntly.

“Yes,” Tommy responded, fearing the reaction he might get if he said no, not just from Tristan but from his father too. Besides, what Tristan had asked was never meant to be formulated as a question, it was the Alpha asking for permission for what was to come next. 

“Undress for me,” the Alpha commanded, taking a single step backwards and allowing Tommy some space to do as he had been instructed. 

Tommy grabbed hold of the hem of his t-shirt and brought it over his head, discarding it to the floor. It might have been mid-July but as the cool night air hit his bare skin goose bumps erupting over his arms, his nipples erecting within seconds of being exposed. With his hands now trembling, Tommy fumbled with the button on his jeans, overly aware that he wore nothing else underneath, like most of the males in the pack. In his haste to follow his Alpha into the woods, Tommy had even forgotten to put on his shoes and socks. 

Tristan didn’t move, his eyes drinking in the sight before him. Pale skin, a slight hint of muscle and delightful nervousness. The Alpha moved one hand to his denim clad cock, trying to imagine that it was Micha undressing for him rather than Tommy. The thought that he might be able to sink into Micha’s heat, claiming him, was making him throb. The Alpha knew that he was going to need a release and soon. 

The submissive dropped his jeans to his ankles, stepping out of them and toward his Alpha. His hands immediately went to cover his modesty but Tristan shook his head. 

“No,” he growled, “I want to see you.” 

Stepping forward, the Alpha took hold of Tommy, stroking him. 

He wasn’t a monster, he wanted Tommy to be able to enjoy this. Tristan had a deep respect for male submissives, a respect that was still lacking in their culture as werewolves, but Tristan hoped to change that. He only hoped that wherever Micha had ended up, he had found a good Alpha there who could protect him. 

“Will this hurt?” Tommy asked, the nervousness he felt coming through in his voice. 

“A little, but only because it is your first time. I will be careful with you,” Tristan replied, wanting to calm Tommy’s nerves a little. 

He was glad his newly chosen mate had never been touched by another. It would not do to have an Alpha with a whore, only worthy of the position of Omega, and certainly not mate to the Alpha. 

“Undress me,” the dominant commanded, his voice a deep growl. 

Tommy hastily nodded his head, instantly going to do as he was told. The younger man’s hands were trembling so much that in the end the Alpha had to take over, removing his own shirt, while Tommy removed his trousers.

“I’m really scared,” Tommy said, his chest constricting painfully as he struggled to breath. 

“Turn around and lean against the tree, legs spread,” Tristan instructed, wanting to make this as easy as possible. 

Tommy’s erection had already started to wilt because he was clearly overthinking everything and making it so much more complicated than it needed to be. It didn’t help that the cold weather was making it a little hard to stay in the mood. 

Unsure of what to expect, the submissive did as he was told. He gasped when he felt Tristan’s hands run up his buttocks, caressing them gently, gliding over his back and into his hair, ruffling it into messy blond tufts. Now his cock was starting to pay attention, being unable to see what was happening behind him added a new sense of erotica for him, his stomach tingling in anticipation. 

Spitting on to his fingers, Tristan moved to his mate’s entrance, wanting to prepare the submissive so not to cause him too much pain, but realising too late that they had nothing more practical than saliva to use as lube. Tristan wished then that he had planned a little more for this moment rather than doing it in the spur of the moment. 

Pushing in a single digit, Tristan felt Tommy tense around him. 

“Relax,” the Alpha said gently, “it will burn less if you relax.” 

Tommy tried to do as he had been told and relax, as Tristan began to slowly move inside of him, quickly adding a second finger and stretching him. The submissive bit his lip to stop from crying out as his entrance was stretched beyond its normal capacity. It felt peculiar and extremely uncomfortable for him, but he didn’t say anything, not wanting to annoy the Alpha. 

Lacking the patience to continue with the foreplay and preparation, Tristan withdrew, spitting on his hand and coating his dick in saliva. He knew that he hadn’t done as much as he probably should have to prepare Tommy for his first time but he was achingly hard and impatient, desperately in need of a release. As it was, he wasn’t going to last very long. 

He felt slightly ashamed that he wasn’t making this more special for Tommy but there would be plenty of time for that in the future. This was just the claiming, they would have time enough for romance. 

Holding on to Tommy’s hips, Tristan positioned himself ready to enter the younger man and solidify their mate-ship, all that would be required of the submissive would be to accept him. 

From this angle and with the slightly messy hair, it was easy for the Alpha to think that this was Micha and that his wish had come true. He could forget about the exile and just enjoy the moment, making himself believe that he had Micha all to himself and they would be together, have children together, just as he had wanted them to. 

The submissive braced himself against the tree, gripping it as tightly as he could as he felt the enormous pressure of Tristan’s hard cock pushing into him. The Alpha took it slow, though it took all his self-control to do so, forcing himself inside gradually, rocking himself in short motions further into his new mate’s body. 

“Micha,” Tristan growled possessively once he had finally fully immersed himself inside. 

Reaching around, the Alpha took hold of his mate’s erection, starting to pump it as he thrust back and forth, keeping up a steady rhythm. 

“You’re mine,” he snarled, his primal instincts coming to the surface as he claimed the submissive as his mate.

Tommy had not missed what Tristan had called him and it made his heart hurt and tears roll down his cheeks, giving him a rush of confusing and chaotic emotions as he was brought to his climax. The eighteen-year-old submissive stilled as his dominant mate roared out his own orgasm, gasping in surprise as he felt the Alpha welling and knotting inside of him. 

Using his strength, Tristan, picked Tommy up, doing so carefully so not to dislodge himself and cause the younger male any further discomfort. The Alpha male sat them down and cradled his new mate in his arms, kissing the top of his head. He knew that he would never love Tommy, not like he had loved Micha, but Tristan was fond of Tommy and he hoped they could build something from that. 

\-------x 

It was the early hours of the morning when Tristan and Tommy returned to the clearing. The submissive returned to his own bed immediately, feeling used and deflated. The Alpha headed directly back to the fire where Reuben was still sat, poking at the fire and keeping watch over the slumbering pack in Tristan’s absence.

“How did it go?” he asked as the Alpha male sat down beside him. 

“Fine,” Tristan replied, “he will do as a mate.” 

He was not overly concerned that Tommy had not gone through the process of accepting him as his dominant, that would hopefully come over the next few days as it was a lot to process all at once for someone so young. Tristan also took into account that it was late and Tommy was probably exhausted, especially after what they had just done. 

“Does that mean we are free to choose our own mates now?” Reuben asked hopefully. 

He knew that Leo had been keen to claim Amy and he too had his eye on someone within the pack, though he hadn’t decided if it was right to claim her yet as she was one of the youngest in the pack currently at only eleven and he twenty-five.

“It does,” Tristan confirmed, “do you have your eye on someone?” he asked, genuinely interested. 

He knew the pack had been holding off until he mated, it was one of the reasons he hadn’t wanted to wait any more. It was pack tradition that no one claim a mate until the Alpha was mated because the leader of the pack should always have his pick of all the submissive wolves in the pack. 

“Perhaps,” Reuben admitted. “If her parents do not oppose the mate-ship. She is rather young compared to me. Though I am not against waiting until she is older as long as the promise is there.” 

“May I ask who you are looking at?” Tristan asked. 

He could see quite clearly that Leo was head over heels for Amy but he had no idea about who Reuben might have his eye on. His friend tended to keep his emotions closely guarded. Having large age gaps wasn’t uncommon in packs and it didn’t surprise Tristan that Rueben had his eye on one of the younger females. 

“Maisy,” he replied, “I have been drawn to her since she was born, but I have kept my distance for obvious reasons, but that is getting harder and harder every day.” 

“You are a strong dominant and as an Enforcer of the pack, hold a strong position that you could better if it was an issue. I doubt her parents are going to say no to you for the sake of a few years, not when you could protect and care for their child so well. If they oppose the match I could always step in on your behalf.”

“That is a kind offer, my Alpha,” Reuben said, “but I think I would prefer to court and win her for myself. Eventually I would like her to feel safe enough to have pups with me.” 

Mate-ships were complicated things. A dominant could claim a submissive but wouldn’t necessarily be accepted by them. Because of this it was hardwired into submissive wolves that they would struggle to get pregnant unless they felt safe, which usually came after acceptance and time together to feel comfortable with one another. 

“I will have that issue with Tommy,” Tristan said with a forlorn sigh. “The boy was terrified tonight.” 

“Understandable if it was his first time,” Reuben said. “Give him some time to adjust, you’ll have pups in time, but he is still a boy himself right now.” Reuben loved his little brother, however he knew that despite being eighteen, Tommy was not mature for his age. 

Poking at the fire with vigour, Tristan felt comfortable talking to Reuben and admitted something that he would not speak of to anyone else within the pack. His fear of failing as the Alpha. 

“My father’s words echo in my mind daily. I need a strong heir to the pack to ensure that it survives.” 

Reuben nodded, understanding the need all too well. It was an urge clawing beneath his own skin too, the desire to find a submissive to claim as his mate and reproduce. 

\----x 

Tommy had not been able to go back to sleep, instead lying awake, buried under his hides, listening to the conversation between Tristan and Reuben. 

The young submissive was trying desperately not to cry. His first time and his new mate had called him by another’s name. He wasn’t sure he even wanted to be in this mate-ship if Tristan didn’t want him, despite wishing for this to happen for years. When the eighteen-year-old finally fell asleep it was almost dawn, and it was not a restful sleep for him. 

\-----x

September 1986

It had been two months since the Alpha had claimed his mate but things were not going smoothly. Everything was on hold, including all mate-ships for other pack members because it looked like Tristan and Tommy were not going to last. 

Tommy had not yet accepted Tristan as his mate and time was swiftly running out. The two of them had hardly spent any time together and they hadn’t had sex again either, something Tommy was rather pleased about. 

His father on the other hand was not so pleased with the situation. 

Joel knew he lacked the brawn and muscle of some of the others, to be able to fight for a respectable position within the pack, but with his son being chosen as the Alpha’s mate, he and his wife were now getting just as much respect from the rest of the pack as was shown to the Beta wolf, Jared. Joel wasn’t willing to lose that respect and he was determined to get his son to do anything it would take to make it work with the Alpha. 

Reuben had been Beta for a few years and they had been given the respect then too, however when Reuben had freely given the position to Jared, they had become regular pack members again. Joel wanted the respect back, he wanted to be treated as if he mattered rather than being one of the weaker dominants in the pack. 

Having had enough of the uncertainty, Joel had decided he had to step in and do something about the situation. 

Dragging his son to one side, so that they were only just out of eyeline of the rest of the pack, and most importantly the Alpha, Joel began to speak to his son in harsh whispers, determined not to be overheard. 

“You are fucking this up!” he told him.

“I don’t mean to,” Tommy said, close to tears already. He didn’t want to show any weakness to his father. As a male submissive he already knew he was one of the weakest members of the pack and he certainly didn’t want to be treated as such. 

“Whatever issues the two of you have, fix them!” Joel snarled. 

He didn’t care what emotional problems his son was having, he wasn’t going to give up the position this opportunity had given him without a fight. Unable to win a physical fight he was going to have to use his brains instead. If that meant pushing his submissive son into mating fully with the Alpha, then that was exactly what he was going to do. 

“I don't’ know how,” Tommy said desperately, “he wants me to be someone I’m not.” 

“Then do what it takes, be that person,” Joel snapped irritably, not seeing what the problem was. He didn’t understand why his son was being so uncooperative on the issue. 

“I can’t be Micha, I’m not Micha,” Tommy said, the tears that had been welling up in his eyes starting to trickle down his cheeks. 

“Then be better than him!” Joel snarled viciously at his son. “Micha’s family betrayed this pack and he was exiled for it. Make yourself better than him because you are better. Did you accept the Alpha the night he claimed you?” 

“I think so, I mean, I let him fuck me,” Tommy said bitterly, furiously wiping away the tears from his cheeks. He didn’t want to think about that night let alone talk about it. He hadn’t even told his mother what had happened and how it had made him feel, he certainly didn’t want to discuss it with his father. 

“That is not enough,” Joel snapped, angry at how stupid his son could be. He knew there were exceptional circumstances but until recently he hadn’t realised just how much they affected Tommy’s instincts as a werewolf. “You need to kiss him, show him that you accept him as your mate and that you aren’t just a whore who he can fuck whenever he wants!” 

Tommy nodded his head in understanding. He had had no idea that there was more required than simply letting the Alpha to have his way with him. 

“I’ll do better,” he said, feeling utterly hopeless and hating the whole situation. 

He was determined to make things work with Tristan, despite the circumstances, because he had always wanted this. He also wanted to make his father proud of him, something he had never managed to do before now. 

“Do it quickly,” Joel said, only wishing he had intervened sooner. He hadn’t realised his only son was so damaged from what he and his wife had done soon after Tommy had been born. 

\------x 

Tommy moved into the main clearing for the rest of the morning, wanting to be close to Tristan and gage what mood the Alpha was in. The submissive was rather nervous about accepting Tristan, fearful that the dominant might have changed his mind about wanting him since so much time had passed.

He took his chance at lunch time, offering to hand out the stew that had been carefully prepared by his mother and Sophia, another of the pack submissive’s. 

Maggie knew exactly what her son was planning and wanting to help him along a little, she handed him the largest of the servings and asked, “would you take this to the Alpha please, sweet one?” 

Tommy nodded his head, glad that his mother seemed to know exactly what his intentions were. Nervously, Tommy headed over to where the Alpha was dozing against a tree. 

“My Alpha?” he asked softly as he reached him, not wanting to anger the dominant by waking him too abruptly.

“Now that we are supposedly mates, you should call me Tristan,” the dominant responded, without bothering to open his eyes. 

“Okay,” Tommy said, going down to his knees. 

He wasn’t sure how to take the word ‘supposedly’, though he thought it might be a good sign that Tristan still seemed to count them as mates. Setting the bowl down to the side of the Alpha, Tommy gathered together his courage.

“I brought you some lunch,” he said and then without stopping overthink what he was about to do, the submissive leaned closer and placed a soft kiss to the corner of Tristan’s lips. He withdrew quickly once the act was done, a little fearful of what the reaction might be.

At the kiss, Tristan’s eyes had snapped open and he was looking at Tommy curiously. 

“Why?” the Alpha asked, curious as to what had caused the submissive to do this now and not two months previously when he had made his intentions very clear. The Alpha had almost resigned himself to being without a mate at all and simply fucking Tommy whenever he felt the need to do so. 

“I didn’t know I was supposed to,” Tommy admitted, thinking that the truth was probably for the best in this instance. However, the look that Tristan gave him at this admission made his cheeks flush a beautiful shade of crimson. 

Realising just how clueless his new mate was, Tristan fought the urge to roll his eyes. Most submissive wolves, male or female, would have known how to accept the mate-ship of a dominant. 

“Fetch your meal, we will eat together.” 

“You would allow that?” Tommy asked in amazement. He hadn’t realised what accepting Tristan as his mate would entail but he rather liked the idea of the less sexual elements of this mate-ship. 

“It is expected, we should be united at all times to keep the pack strong. As the Alpha’s mate there is much that is expected of you,” Tristan explained, knowing that he was likely going to have to do a lot of explaining about how things were meant to work between them, seeing as Tommy apparently didn’t have a clue.

“Will you show me?” Tommy asked nervously, unsure if he could ask something like this of his Alpha. 

“I will have to,” Tristan said with a sigh, knowing that he had no other choice if he was going to make this work. “Now, fetch your meal and we shall eat.” 

\-----x

Tommy knew he had a lot to learn, and he discovered just how much, later that evening. After he and Tristan had eaten dinner together, Tommy had helped his mother, Maggie, clean up and as soon as he was done, the Alpha had summoned him over to him, looking less than pleased. 

“You are not to do such duties again,” Tristan scowled, not happy that his mate had been doing the job of lesser pack members. 

“I’m sorry,” Tommy said, realising at once that he had done something wrong. “I was only helping clear away from dinner.” 

“You are above that now,” Tristan said with finality. “Sit with me,” he commanded. 

Tommy nodded his head, doing as he was told at once, taking his place beside the Alpha. 

\-----x 

“I’m not sure I approve of this,” Maggie said to her mate, “I know you think it’s so wonderful for us but neither of them are happy with the situation.” The two of them hid a dark secret and she thought parading Tommy in front of the Alpha was a bad idea. 

“It’s hardly your place to say that neither of them are happy,” Joel snapped. “It’s your fault the boy has no instinct to follow!” 

“Would you prefer our son to be dead?” Maggie asked her mate angrily. “A human born of two werewolves, it’s almost unheard of. He would have been killed!” 

When Tommy had been born, Tristan’s father, Jacet had been the Alpha. Jacet had been a harsh and brutal Alpha, who had not been as kind or lenient as Tristan. Joel and Maggie had known that he would have killed Tommy if he had known. 

“Better dead than a pathetic submissive who doesn’t even know how to accept a mate,” Joel snarled through clenched teeth. “If I’d have known-” 

“You would have killed him yourself? Murdering your own son?” Maggie interrupted, hissing out her words angrily. “Would you have killed me too?” 

“Of course not,” Joel said, sneering at his mate, “don’t be absurd, you know how I feel about you.” They had been together since she was sixteen and he twenty-four. He had loved her all this time and he could never imagine hurting her. However the issues they had had with Tommy had driven a wedge between them and had caused a lot of friction. 

“But not our child,” Maggie said, outraged at her mate for what he was saying. 

She knew what they had done when he had been no more than a newborn was bound to have some side effects but until now they hadn’t been obvious. She had wanted a dozen pups; however the way Tommy had been born had put a stop to their plans for a large brood of children. 

“He isn’t exactly something to be proud of,” Joel said defensively. “Mating to the Alpha is the only thing that he’s done I can be proud of.” 

“He is your son, he doesn’t deserve your indifference for how he was born. It isn’t his fault he was born human. He certainly doesn’t deserve your hatred for your plan not going smoothly that full moon!” 

“But it was not my fault that he was born human!” Joel snapped harshly. 

This was something he blamed his mate for. There was no chance that it was his genetics that could have caused something so shameful, not when they had the perfect dominant son in Reuben. He could have been Beta, if not an Alpha, however Reuben had no patience for pack politics and had little ambition. 

“Keep your voice down, we don’t want everyone to know,” Maggie said with a glare to her mate. 

She had loved him once upon a time, however she wasn’t sure she even felt fondness towards him now, not with the way he treated their youngest son. Over time her love for Joel had faded, her children meant more to her than he ever would. When he had denied her a third baby she had been devastated, it was then that her love for him had started to fade. 

“No, we don’t want anyone to know, because then not even the Alpha would want him,” Joel said spitefully, knowing that an Alpha would never settle for a bitten werewolf, who was never meant to be one of them. 

Tristan wasn’t as heartless as his father but he still would not lower himself to mating with Tommy if he knew, Joel was sure of it. 

\-------x 

“May I go to bed, my Alpha?” Tommy asked late into the evening. 

They’d had a small celebration for Maisy’s twelfth birthday, Sophia had even baked a small cake for the young girl. Tommy had spent the evening cuddled into the Alpha’s side, which had been nice, if a little dull, as they had watched the celebrations go on around them. 

“Yes,” Tristan responded. “But you are to sleep in my bed, with me.” 

Tommy was a little taken aback by this. He was not expecting that level of intimacy with the Alpha so quickly. 

“If you’re sure, my Alpha,” he said shyly, not sure what more the dominant might expect of him tonight. He really didn’t feel up for sex. 

“Rest,” Tristan boomed out, speaking to the whole pack, “tomorrow we hunt to replenish our stores before the winter sets in.” 

Everyone had known this hunt was pending. Over the summer months food was plentiful, but in winter it was less so. They would need to ensure they had enough to get through the winter months. Tristan disliked running short on food and hated the hike to the nearest town to visit the butchers there if they ran out completely. It would take more than a day to get there and back again as he discouraged the use of magic wherever possible.

When it came to their magical heritage, Tristan was very much like his father. He believed that they should be werewolves first, and witches and wizards second. In some instances, such as preserving food, then magic came in handy, however most of the time wands were not permitted in the clearing and some of the pack didn’t even own a wand at all. This was something that the rest of the pack respected, their wands stored in the same place as their food was kept, though some thought that it was not the wisest of decisions. Voldemort might be gone but as werewolves they had other threats to worry about and most of those threats carried wands. 

Felicity was one of the only ones who had permission from the Alpha to carry a wand at all times. As pack healer she needed magic to be able to fulfil that role. Sophia, who was also training to become a healer, was only permitted to carry her wand when she was undergoing tuition. 

Tristan was aware that not every pack thought like this, some had combined magic with being a werewolf, however he was a purest and wouldn’t allow his pack to modernise in that way, it just didn’t feel right to him. 

\------x

The hunt had been left rather late this year, with the Alpha’s mind having been on other things. They also didn’t have as many of-age dominants as Tristan would have liked. Only five were of age, with Darren and Leo both still a few years shy of their sixteenth birthdays. 

Normally all but two of the dominants would have gone huntting, two remaining behind to protect the territory and the submissive wolves. But numbers in the Stanwood pack were at an all-time low, since the war with Voldemort and challenges to Tristan’s position. They had lost too many wolves. It would be difficult for them to hunt enough food for fifteen wolves to survive through the harsh winter months. 

Tristan had therefore decided to take Darren and Leo along on the hunt, hoping to teach and train them, leaving only Joel behind to protect the others and the clearing. 

The Alpha was joined on the hunt by his Beta, Jared, his best friend, Reuben, and pack Enforcer, Gordon, as well as Darren and Leo. Gordon, along with Joel were the two senior pack members but at forty-five and forty-four respectively, they still had plenty of fight left in them and were perfectly capable of providing for and protecting the pack. 

Tommy was taking the opportunity to relax while Tristan was absent and using the time to talk to his mother. He was struggling to adapt to his new position in the pack and it was nice to not have to think or worry about it for once. His mother always had been and always would be his safe place. With everyone else he had to think before he spoke, he had to carefully consider everything he did, but not with her. Right now he needed that. 

“Does he treat you well, dear one?” Maggie asked. 

She was trying to mend some of Joel’s jeans that had been torn a week earlier, during sparring with some of the other dominants. It was something she detested doing but clothing was scarce and they couldn’t carelessly throw items away. It was times like these she wished she could use magic. 

“I suppose,” Tommy said with a sigh, “I mean, he’s a little bossy.” 

“If being bossy over you is your only complaint of him, you are doing well,” Maggie said with a smile to her son, thinking of her own problems with her mate. She wasn’t sure if Joel knew how she felt. She doubted it very much. 

“He doesn’t love me,” Tommy told her sadly. “He never will.” 

“Oh, dear one,” Maggie said, setting aside her mending. “He lost someone close to his heart mere months ago. He may not love you now but you are his mate you have forever with him. You are the one who will give him children and trust me, dear one, he will love you for that.” 

“I’m not sure I want children,” Tommy admitted and was at once taken aback by his mother's harsh glare. 

“You mustn't speak like that! Your instincts have never fully been in tune,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief at what her son had just said. “You are mated to the Alpha now, children will not be your choice.” 

“It’s my body, it should be my choice,” Tommy said adamantly. Even when he had been forced into accepting Tristan by his father, Tommy hadn’t even considered that children were possible, it wasn’t something he had ever really wanted. 

“As the Alpha, Tristan will need strong heirs. He has chosen you as his mate and therefore you need to give them to him. I will be shocked if you’re not pregnant within the next two years,” Maggie said firmly, thinking that her son thought far too much like a human. She knew that she and Joel had made a mistake in what they had done when it came to Tommy, that much was clear. 

“Don’t I need to feel safe fist?” Tommy asked, a plan forming in his mind as he thought back to the conversation he’d overheard between Tristan and Reuben. 

“A submissive does need to feel safe to be able to conceive,” Maggie confirmed unhappily, her lips pursed, not particularly liking this topic of conversation. “But you, dear one, have a few abnormalities, so I wouldn’t count on that to keep you from reproducing.” 

“Well it’s a start,” Tommy said in a grump, “Because I don’t want to have a child with him until he loves me for me and doesn’t call me Micha during sex.” 

\-------x 

Tristan was exhilarated from the hunt, adrenaline pumping through his veins and blood splattered through his blond hair from one of the stags that he had taken down. 

He had returned to the clearing only long enough to summon Tommy to him, dragging his submissive deep into the woods, needing his mate in the most primal way. The Alpha was rushed and impatient, needing the submissive to satisfy him. 

Tommy didn’t complain, in fact he said nothing, allowing his dominant to do as he pleased, all the while ensuring he pictured the fight between Tristan and Reid, wanting to make sure that he felt too scared to conceive a baby with his mate. 

\------x

Reuben felt as if he needed some form of release, all the dominants usually did after the hunt. 

It had gone well, and they were now well stocked, but all of the dominants were pumped up and in need of some form of release, whether it be sexual or physical. Reuben was watching Maisy lustfully, hating that she was still so young, and he could do nothing about his urges. Watching her talk to twelve-year-old Sophia, laughing with her friend, he was jealous that she did not laugh like that with him. She barely even looked at him. 

Deciding that if he didn’t do something then he was going to very quickly lose his sanity, Reuben made his way over to Maisy’s father, Gordon. 

“May I speak to you?” he asked, knowing that this conversation was going to determine how his future panned out. If he wanted to mate with Maisy, Gordon needed to approve their mate-ship.

Gordon, who had been about to drag his mate, Erica, off into the woods, looked at Reuben as if he had two heads. 

“What about?” he demanded, more than slightly annoyed that his plans had been changed. 

“Well, actually, your daughter,” Reuben said somewhat bashfully. He didn’t want this to end in a fight but he knew that was a distinct possibility with how riled up they all were after the hunt. 

“No,” Gordon said at once, knowing exactly what Reuben had been about to ask. He had seen how the former Beta had been looking at his daughter and he was not pleased about it, not with the large age gap between the two of them. 

“I don’t wish to be rude, but surely you should allow the question to be asked before you refuse,” Reuben said pointedly, annoyed at the frank dismissal of his request to talk civilly. 

“How old are you?” Gordon demanded, wanting to make a point. Erica, who had been close to her mate when Reuben had approached had very quickly moved away, going to stand next to Maisy, wanting to protect her daughter, knowing that it was likely a fight was about to happen. 

“Twenty-five,” Reuben said frankly, not happy with the attitude that he was receiving.

“Maisy is twelve, the answer is no,” he said, a little more firmly this time. There was no way that he was letting a man who was more than twice his daughter’s age go anywhere near her. 

“Let me prove myself,” Reuben said, not wanting this to end in a fight but knowing if he eventually wanted to mate to Maisy, he wasn’t going to have much choice.

“You are not good enough for my daughter,” Gordon roared, the rest of the pack turning to see who had shouted. 

The whole pack stilled, the clearing falling silent as they waited for Reuben to react. All of them were now expecting a fight. 

Knowing that all eyes were on him, including Maisy’s, Reuben drew back his fist and slammed it into Gordon’s jaw. The older dominant, who had not been expecting it, staggered back, clutching the side of his face. 

“Mum, don’t let them fight, please,” Maisy pleaded, turning to her mother. 

“Sweetheart, I would if I could but Reuben is fighting to prove himself worthy of mating to you. If I step in to stop it on your behalf, it will mean you don’t want him as a mate,” Erica explained to her daughter. “You have to make a choice and quickly.” As she spoke the two dominants went for each other, fists flying. 

“I do like him,” Maisy said, clearly distressed by what was going on.

“Then you need to let them fight,” Erica said with a sigh. “Your father only wants to ensure Reuben can protect you before he consents to him courting you.” 

“Courting me?” Maisy asked, confused as to why she would be courted. Tommy had simply been claimed. 

“You are still a pup. Reuben will court you until you turn sixteen, then he will claim you,” Erica explained, though it was more to reassure her daughter than anything else because sometimes dominants didn’t abide by those rules. Erica was still a little shocked that Reuben had made his move when Maisy was still so young, but she didn't exactly disapprove of the mate-ship; in a way she had been expecting this for a while.

Unable to look at the fight, Maisy had turned away, wanting to focus on anything else. 

“This doesn't end in death, does it?” the pup asked fearfully, “not like the Alpha challenge with Reid?”

“No,” Erica assured her daughter, “you see, Jared is watching over the fight carefully. He won't allow them to do serious harm to each other.” 

Normally it would have been Tristan supervising these sorts of things but he was off with Tommy and therefore indisposed. Though it was still a comfort to the twelve-year-old that the Beta wolf was stood on the side lines; she knew he would stop her father and Reuben from doing any serious harm to each other, if it came to it.

Despite Gordon being the older and more experienced fighter, Reuben was by far the stronger of the two. He had been trained alongside Tristan when they were pups. It took awhile but after almost half an hour it was the former Beta who became victorious, proving himself worthy of Maisy.

“Reuben dominates,” Jared declared, watching the pair carefully as Gordon dragged himself to his feet. In the absence of the Alpha, the word of the Beta would be enough to confirm this fact amongst all pack members.

“You have proven you can protect her,” Gordon said, offering his hand out to Reuben to shake. 

Of course, the younger of the two took the outstretched hand, not wanting to snub the older man, however as he took the hand, Reuben found himself dragged forward so that Gordon could whisper in his ear, “but hurt her and I will kill you while you sleep.”

“I have no intention of hurting her,” Reuben said in response, casting a glance over to where Maisy stood with her mother, looking a little shaken from the whole ordeal. He had no intention of doing anything with her until she was sixteen and therefore of age. He wanted a mate for life, as any wolf did and Maisy was the one he wanted. 

\-----x

Reuben allowed two days to pass after the fight before he approached Maisy. He asked her to accompany him on a walk, just the two of them and even though his intentions were entirely innocent, Reuben still received a rather dangerous look from Gordon. 

It was clear her father did not entirely trust the former Beta, and certainly didn't want the two of them alone together. Maisy was still too young in Gordon’s mind and despite Reuben having proven himself, the man was still not entirely happy with the mate-ship going ahead.

“You do not have to be nervous around me,” Reuben told Maisy, breaking the awkward silence between the two of them once they were a fair distance from the others.

“But isn't this going to hurt?” Maisy asked fearfully. 

Despite what her mother had told her about courting two days previously, while the fight was taking place, she wasn't entirely convinced it was true, not after what Sophia had said to her the previous day. Her friend had filled her head with horror stories about older dominants mating much younger submissive wolves, and not exactly treating them nicely.

“I will not be claiming you today,” Reuben said rather flatly. “I would like you to feel comfortable with me first. to want me to claim you and not fear it.”

“I didn't think it worked like that,” Maisy said bashfully.

“It can work however we wish it to work,” he said to her, watching the twelve-year-old carefully. 

He knew some dominants would not have waited, that they would have had very little respect for their submissive’s age. Werewolf instincts dictated that once a submissive became fertile around the age of ten or eleven, they were free to be claimed. It had only been in more recent times that werewolves and packs such as themselves had started to wait until the submissives turned sixteen, wanting to come out of the dark ages and adapting to more modern thinking.

“So,” Maisy began, hesitating a little, “does that mean, that if I wanted to...” Again she stalled, not sure if she wanted to ask the question or not. “Could I accept you if I wanted to?” Her instincts were telling her that this dominant was strong enough to protect her, she wanted to accept him, but she wouldn't if he didn't think it was time.

“I cannot tell you when to do that, it is something you must decide to do when you are ready. Accepting a mate is something that your instincts must dictate. No dominant can force a submissive to accept them,” Reuben explained.

“Oh,” Maisy said, a little confused. She knew what her instincts were telling her but she was a little scared it was too soon.

“Do you want to accept me?” Reuben asked, hopeful this was indeed the case. He had been hopeful for this for a long while now but he had never imagined she might want him too.

“Yes,” she replied nervously. Her instincts were screaming at her, blocking out her human fears. This was what she wanted, he was going to be hers. The age gap between them had never mattered to her, her inner wolf wanted a strong mate, who would be able to protect her and any children they might have in the future and Reuben fit that perfectly.

Allowing her basic instincts to overrule her complicated human brain, Maisy let the wolf take over, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss to the corner of Reuben's lips. When she pulled away, Maisy noticed that he was smiling, which she took to be a good sign.

“Sit,” Reuben said, “we shall talk.”

\-----x

October 1986

Tristan had been talking to Tommy for a month, trying to figure out what he knew and what he didn’t about how their mate-ship was supposed to work. 

It had become clear to Tristan that Tommy was lacking all the normal werewolf instincts that submissive wolves were supposed to have. He wasn’t sure why or how this might have happened, and he wanted to know. So, he planned on asking the only two people who might have an inkling, his parents. 

“Maggie, Joel, I require a word,” Tristan said, approaching Tommy’s parents. He was not in the mood to be asking nicely. He had claimed the submissive in July, and they had officially mated last month, it was already too long to have gone without answers. 

“Of course, my Alpha,” Joel said at once, clambering quickly to his feet before pulling his wife up as well. He was instantly filled with nerves about why he and his mate had been summoned to speak with the Alpha, who appeared to be in a rather solemn mood. 

Maggie and Joel followed Tristan as he led them away from the clearing and into the woods. The Alpha didn’t want anyone else to overhear the conversation they were about to have because he knew that even if there was something wrong with Tommy, which he suspected that there might be, he didn’t want anyone else, who didn’t need to, to know. He didn’t want his mate to have any source of shame surrounding him as that would only open himself up to challenge, something he wanted to avoid. 

Tommy was now the only male submissive in the pack, it was either him or no one and Tristan knew that he needed pups to keep the pack strong and secure. He might not love Tommy but he was a means to an end, defective or not. 

There were so many factors to keeping a pack strong, secure and protected, and Tristan had to do what was best for all of them. He needed to keep Tommy as his mate and therefore needed to know what was wrong with him so he could adapt and help him become the Alpha mate he needed him to be. 

“What’s wrong with Tommy?” Tristan asked, suddenly coming to a standstill and rounding on the mated couple with an accusing glare. 

Maggie and Joel looked stunned at the unexpected question from their Alpha, both suddenly lost for words. They looked to one another, Joel looking stern, half shaking his head to his submissive, warning her not to say anything. He didn’t want for their shame to be known, he didn’t want to risk punishment for what he had done. 

“Don’t,” Joel hissed at her. 

“We must,” Maggie said desperately, not wanting to lie to Tristan. 

She knew that with one word she and her mate would be exiled from the pack and they’d have nowhere else to go. They were getting old and would soon be more of a burden than an asset to any pack. They couldn’t afford to be exiled from this one. Tristan had exiled a teenager, barely capable of taking care of himself, a teenager everyone knew Tristan had cared for deeply, and Maggie knew the Alpha would have no issue exiling her and her mate. 

“Yes,” Tristan said, starting to lose his patience. “Tell me,” he insisted. He did not like the fact that Joel was refusing to divulge the secret the two of them shared. 

“There is nothing wrong with him!” Joel stated adamantly. 

He didn’t want to discuss this, he was fearful that Tristan might reject their son if he knew the truth. Either way, they were not in a good position. If they disobeyed the Alpha then they ran the risk of being exiled, or worse, killed. But in telling him they could lose their precarious position in the pack or even become omega wolves for their deception. 

“He’s noticed,” Maggie said gently, trying to coax her mate into telling Tristan the truth. “I thought this might happen when they mated together.” 

“There is nothing to notice,” Joel snapped harshly, raising his hand to his mate and hitting her across the face, fed up of her running her mouth when she had no business doing so. 

“You will not hurt your mate,” Tristan snarled, grabbing hold of Joel and throwing him away from Maggie, who had fallen to her knees from the shock of being hit by her mate. “Now tell me what is wrong with Tommy!” 

There was one thing that Tristan couldn’t abide and that was any of the submissive’s being hurt by the ones who professed to love them. He knew this was a modern sentiment, especially when it came to male submissive’s but he would not have such abuses in his pack. 

“He wasn’t born one of us,” Maggie said, almost sobbing. She just wanted this to be over, whatever the outcome might be, they had to tell the truth. 

“What do you mean, he wasn’t born one of us?” Tristan demanded, confused by this bizarre confession from Maggie. 

“Don’t say anymore!” Joel warned, thinking his mate had already said far too much. “I forbid you from saying anything else, Maggie!” 

“Joel, we must,” Maggie sobbed, knowing that she was going to catch hell from her mate when this was all over. She knew he loved her but the two of them had carried this secret with them since Tommy had been born and they had always known the impact it might one day have. This secret had prevented the two of them from having any more pups, something that had hurt Maggie deeply. 

“Just tell me,” Tristan bellowed, forgetting himself, and that they were trying to keep the conversation private. He was getting increasingly frustrated by Joel’s unwillingness to cooperate and answer a few simple questions. 

“He wasn’t born one of us, a werewolf,” Maggie said, not looking at her mate, knowing that she would only see anger. 

“He was born human?” Tristan asked, confused and a little horrified at this admission. He had never heard of any werewolf to birth a human child before. “And you bit him…” he said. 

Maggie nodded her head, her horrified grief written all over her face. “Joel did,” she admitted. “He knew the second I gave birth that Tommy wasn’t a werewolf.” She sobbed. “We never thought it would make any difference,” she said, looking up at her Alpha pleadingly, praying he would understand. 

“Why?” Tristan demanded, knowing Maggie was the one likely to give him answers. He didn’t think asking Joel would help the situation, if anything Tristan was more likely to use his fists with Joel. 

“Your father would have killed him,” Joel snapped, furious at his wife for revealing their secret. He had hoped they would take their secret to the grave. 

“We didn’t want to see our baby killed for something he couldn’t control,” Maggie added. 

They all knew how vicious Jacet had been. He had been an unrelenting and cruel Alpha, ruling with an iron fist and exacting harsh punishments for every small infraction. No one had grieved for him when he had died, not even Tristan, his own son. 

“So he was never supposed to be a werewolf,” Tristan said, looking between Joel and Maggie with utter disgust. They had done something unthinkable, although he could understand why. He knew how awful a man his father had been. 

“But he is now,” Maggie said desperately, “Tommy is a werewolf, a submissive, but still a werewolf. And he’s a good man.” 

“With none of the instincts of a werewolf,” Tristan said angrily, furious that Maggie and Joel could have kept this from him when they knew he intended to mate with their son. “How do you know this will not affect his fertility?” 

“It won’t,” Maggie said at once, not wanting to believe her submissive son might never give the Alpha children. If that was the case then their position in the pack was even more precarious than it had ever been before. In the wake of their lies, if Tommy was found to be barren then it was more than likely they would be exiled or killed.

“You can’t know that!” Tristan snarled at her, beyond angry with how these two had betrayed him. “If he cannot produce children then he is not fit to be my mate!” 

“Please, Alpha,” Joel pleaded, “Please give him a chance, make him feel loved and safe, do everything you can to make conception possible. Give him five years to prove he is capable of giving you a child and if he cannot then we will leave, all three of us, without fuss or hassle, we will just go.” 

Joel knew that he was taking a huge risk. If Tommy couldn’t give the Alpha what he wanted then they would lose everything. He just had to believe that his son was capable of conceiving children and wouldn’t let them down. 

“Five years,” Tristan agreed, “if he hasn’t conceived and given me a pup in that time then I will exile Maggie and Tommy, but you Joel... you I’ll kill for what you’ve done.” 

The Alpha knew that five years would make no difference to him when it came to having pups and his wolf would be satisfied for the moment with just being mated. However, if he couldn’t have pups with Tommy then he would ensure that Joel paid for his mistakes. 

“I accept that,” Joel said, knowing that he was going to have to have a word with Tommy and make him understand exactly what was riding on his relationship with the Alpha. 

\-----x

The next day Joel took his son rather forcefully to one side, literally dragging him away from the clearing by the scruff of his neck. With his life depending on the Alpha’s relationship with Tommy, Joel wasn’t going to leave anything to chance, he wanted to make sure that his son knew what was at stake. 

“Dad, what are you doing?” Tommy asked. 

He knew no one was meant to treat him like this anymore, Tristan had told him so. He was now ranked second in the pack, only Tristan was ranked higher, but Tommy had too much respect for his father to do anything against him. 

“I need to talk to you!” Joel snapped, his tone harsh as he took his son into the woods so that they would not be overheard. Maggie watched them go from where she was helping Felicity prepare the evening meal for the pack. 

“About what?” Tommy asked as the two of them came to a stop. They were still in sight of the clearing and would be able to see if anyone came near them. Joel didn’t want anyone to overhear what they were about to discuss. 

“Tristan knows!” Joel snapped. 

“Knows what?” Tommy asked, suddenly worried. 

“About you!” Joel replied. “He knows you aren’t a normal werewolf, that you were bitten and not born!” 

“You told him?” Tommy asked in shock. He hadn’t thought that his father would ever divulge the secret their family shared. He knew it was his father's greatest source of shame, especially when he had such a strong older brother in Reuben. 

“Of course not,” Joel spat in disgust, “I wouldn’t want the shame of it! He figured it out for himself because of your stupidity!” 

“Then why hasn’t he said anything?” Tommy asked. He had always thought if Tristan figured out there was something wrong with him he wouldn’t want him anymore. 

“Because he and I made an agreement,” Joel explained, wanting to make sure that his son knew just how serious the situation was. 

“What kind of agreement?” Tommy asked, concerned about what his father had agreed to. If the agreement didn’t involve him, he doubted that his father would have have bothered to be telling him about it. 

“If you haven't given him a child in five years then he’s going to kill me and exile you and your mother,” Joel said, keeping his tone stern. 

He didn’t want to die but he knew that it was his fault if his son was barren. He had been the one who had bitten him, if he had known the consequences he would never have given into his wife’s desperate pleas to do it. He would have allowed Jacet to kill the baby. 

“I don’t want children,” Tommy said and the instant that the words had left his mouth, Joel hit him across the face. 

“It doesn’t matter what you want!” Joel raged, only barely keeping his voice down, catching himself just in time. “You are going to give him children!” 

“What if I can’t?” Tommy asked, shocked his father would hit him. He knew five years was a long time but he had purposefully been making himself feel unsafe every time he had had sex with Tristan in the hopes he wouldn’t fall pregnant. 

“You will,” Joel hissed. He wasn’t going to negotiate on this, Tommy was going to give Tristan what he wanted without question. “If you don’t then I will kill you myself before Tristan has the chance to kill me.” 

“Dad, I don’t know if I can or not,” Tommy said, trying to make his Dad see reason, but the rage in Joel’s eyes was terrifying to Tommy. 

“I don’t care what it takes, just give that man a child!” Joel hissed before turning his back on his son and storming back to the clearing, leaving Tommy in a state of shock, standing alone in the woods, thinking about what his father had said. 

He didn’t want children and so far he had felt used. He didn’t feel like the Alpha’s mate at all, he felt as if he was the Alpha’s whore. He didn’t want to bring any children into such a broken and hopeless situation. However, it didn’t seem as if he had a choice anymore, not with his father’s life on the line. 

\-----x

December 1986

Dustings of snow covered the ground in the clearing that the Stanwood pack called home. It was Christmas eve and the entire pack was gathered around the large roaring fire, desperately trying to keep warm. Everyone had an animal hide or blanket draped over them in an effort to stave off the cold. 

Tommy had curled himself up on his mate’s lap, sharing body heat. It had taken a lot for Tommy to come to terms with what his father had said to him but he was starting to realise he didn’t want to end up exiled from his pack like Micha had been and he didn’t want his mother to suffer either. He had decided that becoming pregnant and giving Tristan, a child would be his New Year’s resolution. 

Reuben was sat cuddled with Maisy, the twelve-year-old snuggled into his side, shivering slightly. The two of them were still in the courting phase of their relationship and would remain that way for a while. Neither Gordon nor Erica really wanted Reuben to claim their daughter until she turned sixteen but they were happy she had at least found a stable and strong dominant to love and protect her. It was clear the Reuben did really love her, which was all they could have hoped for, for their daughter. 

Leo and Darren were sat together, the two brothers had used each other to keep warm for many winters now and any awkwardness that they had felt from cuddling together in the colder months of the years had dissipated years ago. If they wanted to live, then bundling up together and sharing each other’s body heat was the only way to do it. 

Sophia was cuddled up with her mother, Felicity. Since William had been killed in the war against Voldemort, the two of them had relied heavily on each other and that wasn’t about to change. Amy, who also had no family of her own as a bitten werewolf, had joined the two of them, not wanting to impose on any of the dominants, nor give them ideas. She had her eye on one of them, but he was currently content keeping warm with his brother. 

Jared sat alone. The Beta wolf had no mate and his family was all dead since his father had challenged Tristan for dominance and lost. He was eyeing up all the unmated submissive’s, trying to decide who would be the best one to pick. 

He didn’t feel an attraction to thirteen-year-old Sophia or seventeen-year-old Amy. However, Amy, being older, would be the logical choice for him. He wasn’t in the mood for courting and waiting until Sophia turned sixteen, he had urges that needed to be fulfilled. He was rather resentful over Rueben for claiming Maisy so early, she had been his first choice, but she was still so young. He was shocked that Rueben had the patience and the willpower to wait for so many years before claiming her. 

Gordon and Erica were cuddled together. As the eldest couple in the pack, at forty-five and forty-three respectively, they were used to the harsh winters and were accustomed to them. They knew what they had to do to keep warm. 

Maggie and Joel were not much younger than them and had suffered through just as many. However, they were not cuddled together as they once would have been. The events of the past couple of months had taken its toll on their mate-ship. Never before had Joel lashed out at Maggie and she could not easily forgive him for doing so. 

She knew her youngest son was in a precarious position in the pack right now, forced into something that he didn’t want to do. It would be a miracle if he conceived at all; the poor boy was so full of fear over what might happen to him and his family should he fail to fall pregnant. At least her eldest boy, Reuben, seemed to have landed on his feet. She was proud of him for choosing Maisy and for fighting for the right to mate with her and proving himself worthy. He was worthy of any submissive he chose. 

The New Year would soon be upon them and whatever it may bring they were a pack and would be stronger together.


End file.
